Justin Verlander is the model of longevity and consistency, and his ninth-inning strikeout of Shohei Ohtani in Houston’s 2-0 win over the Angels Wednesday truly demonstrated his prowess.

The 35-year-old struck out Ohtani three times in the duration of his shutout victory, but his third was the one which truly mattered. It was important because it was the 2,500th strikeout of his career.

Verlander is 33rd all-time on the strikeout list after throwing 200 or more innings in 10 seasons.

“I take a lot of pride in taking the ball every fifth day and going out there and just being there for my teammates and making every single start for the season and even if I’m not feeling good being out there,” Verlander told AT&T Sports Southwest after the game. “And when you do that man, I think over time the numbers start to just amass themselves if you can stay healthy and I think that’s what you’re seeing now.”

Thank you to everyone for the congratulatory tweets on 2,500 K’s. So honored to be able to play this game and compete against the best in the world for as long as I have. #thankyou

While Verlander’s strikeout mark was a big part of this game, the win gave Houston a 2-1 series victory over the Angels and puts them two games out in front of Los Angeles in the AL West.

Studs of the Night

It was just a day for pitching Wednesday and Indians starter Trevor Bauer drove the idea home by striking out 10 in seven scoreless innings of a 6-0 win over the Tigers.

The ageless wonder Bartolo Colon threw 7 2/3 innings of shutout ball in the Rangers’ 5-1 win over the Mariners. He gave up four hits while walking none.

Braves rookie Ronald Acuna drove in the go-ahead run in a 4-1 win over the Cubs. The 20-year-old is the youngest player in the expansion era to drive in the go-ahead run on back-to-back days, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Dud of the Night

Orioles’ Mark Trumbo went 0 for 4 with four strikeouts in a 4-1 loss to the Phillies.

Highlight

What’s Next

Rockies (23-20) at Giants (22-22) 10:15 p.m. ET — Chad Bettis (4-1, 3.12 ERA) has been great for the Rockies this year while Jeff Samardzija (1-2, 6.94 ERA) has struggled since coming back from an early-season injury. Both teams need every win they can get in a stacked NL West and the Giants will be looking to get hot again after losing seven of their last 10.